It may be used by female anime, manga, or game fans that enjoy "Boys Love" media which feature homosexual pairings between popular characters for example. Depending on the person, this character may or may not fit the little girl image that western game critics have come to associate with the word. Moe describes the emotions that otaku feel upon seeing, thinking of, or interacting with a certain kind of character. Without this distinction, moe is conflated with descriptions such as 'cute' or 'sexy.'" Second, moe is a response to fictional characters, not actual people. This implies that there are a range of different characters that appeal men and women or various ages and orientations. Moe is used not to describe a character type or style, but rather characters that are likely to trigger a response or are designed with that in mind. There are two things that are important to note about this definition. " Moe is an affective response to a fictional character or representations of a character. This definition is not quite right according to Patrick Galbraith, a researcher of otaku culture at the University of Tokyo. The word is often used by westerners familiar with Japan to describe the lolicon (short for Lolita Complex) art style which focuses on young, often pre-pubescent girls, and seems to feature a disturbing mix of childlike cuteness with subtle and not-so-subtle sexual overtones. Moe is a word that Otaku will often use at the sight of a cute, large-eyed juvenile character, but when asked point blank "What does moe mean?" most are unable to offer a coherent answer. While there are train otaku, military otaku, and otaku of all kinds, a great many of them focus on the geeky triad of anime, manga, and video games the three media influence each other and are often linked together. The concept of moe (pronounced MOH-ay) is incredibly important amongst Japan's indigenous nerd population, otherwise known as otaku. The reasons for the shift in Japanese gamer taste are numerous, but there are three that western gamers in the country continuously note - a peculiar emotion called moe, the Japanese concept of hobbies and adulthood, and a tradition of disparaging foreign games. While the slow takeover of the AAA console space by former PC heavy-hitting franchises, genres and studios like Fallout, FPS games, and BioWare changed the tastes of the western market in the past decade, other forces have been working on Japan in the same time. Gamer taste in both regions underwent a massive sea change in recent years. Regardless, the fact remains that Japanese gamers are now seeking different experiences from North Americans and Europeans. There's no single cause that can explain the phenomena - the possible reasons range from the social and economic, to the practical and mundane. Rather than this being another piece that focuses on the alleged downfall of the Japanese industry, we thought we should focus on why Japanese games and western tastes have diverged so much in recent years. ![]() Japanese games are now by and large made to appeal almost exclusively to Japanese gamers. ![]() The games themselves are as good as they've ever been, but they're just not made for the entire world anymore. Japanese game development did run into trouble during this console generation, but their issues are so removed from the average gamer's experience (workforce and labor management) as to be meaningless. And while their critiques have a certain degree of truth to them, they're missing the point. "Our games are as good as ever, they're just not for you anymore."Ĭritics in the west have been crowing about the supposed death of the Japanese industry for years. "It's not you, it's me." That's the message the Japanese gaming industry is telling the world this week at TGS.
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